You and Me
by mandababe10
Summary: *Epilogue in "Hello Beautiful" series* Three years later, and feelings remain the same. Will things ever get back to normal?
1. Over and Over

**AN: Ok…here it is…the epilogue! I know you're all excited, and so am I! This picks up where "This Is The Heartache" left off…with the fateful phone call. So, get reading! I know you're dying to know what happens!**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own HM or the JoBros. I do still want Kevin, though.**

"Over and Over"

_I feel it everyday, it's all the same_

_It brings me down but I'm the one to blame_

_I've tried everything to get away_

_So here I go again_

_Chasing you down again_

_Why do I do this?_

Even before the phone started ringing, Nick had wondered if this was a good idea. He hadn't talked to Miley in three years, and now, all of a sudden, he was calling her. What was she going to think? Would she actually listen to him, or would she just hang up on him?

Oliver had called him and told him that he needed to get in touch with Miley again. He told him that she wasn't happy, and hadn't been since that day. When Nick asked if there was someone else, Oliver just kind of laughed and said no. That answer made Nick feel better. At least he wouldn't be intruding on a relationship.

Oliver had also told him that Miley would like hearing from him again, but Nick still had his doubts. Oliver could just be playing some sick joke on him.

Nick was so involved in his thoughts that he didn't realize Miley had answered.

"Ummm….hello? Is there anybody there?"

Nick froze. 'What the heck should I do now?'

"Hello? If you don't answer, I'm going to hang up."

Nick shook his head, "Um, hey, Miley."

It was quiet on the line for a minute. Nick thought she hung up, but then her voice came back on the line.

"Nick, hey," she said, her voice surprisingly calm. Maybe she this would go easier than he thought.

"Miley," he sighed. He loved saying her name. And being able to say it again after three long years felt therapeutic to him. "Um…I was wondering if we could talk."

She sighed. He didn't know whether that was a good sigh or a bad sigh. "Yeah. I think we need to."

'Wow,' Nick thought, 'this is going easier than I expected.'

"Well, ok," he said. "First of all, I just want to apologize for what happened. I don't know what I was thinking. It didn't mean _anything_, I swear." He knew he was rambling, but he didn't care. All he thought about was getting his apology out there and he prayed that she forgave him. "I promise you, not one day went by that I didn't think of you and regret what I did to you and what I did to us. I miss you, Miles."

Miley was silent for a moment before she spoke.

"I miss you too, Nicky."

He smiled. She called him Nicky. Things were really looking up for him.

"Is there a chance that I could see you?" he asked. "I really want to work things out. I haven't been the same since that day."

"Um…sure, I guess," she said. "I assume you're still in the Malibu area, then."

"Yeah, I am," he replied. "So, how about the Starbucks we always used to go to?"

"Ok. Will Saturday work for you?"

"Yeah, that's fine," he said, silently jumping for joy.

"Ok, well, I have to go study for exams. I'll see you Saturday."

"Ok, Miles. See you Saturday."

Once they hung up, he started his victory dance. He couldn't believe that she actually agreed that easily to see him. He was ecstatic that she said she had missed him, and he was amazed that she had called him Nicky.

Maybe, just maybe, Oliver knew what he was talking about after all.


	2. All Hail The Heartbreaker

**AN: Here's chapter 2!! Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter. You guys are amazing! **

**Disclaimer: Still not owning anything. (The song is by The Spill Canvas). And I still want Kevin. **

**Enjoy!**

"All Hail The Heartbreaker"

_So tonight I'll sit and pick apart your pictures_

_And overanalyze your words_

_But the truth is I've never fallen so hard_

_It's taking everything in me_

_Just to forget your sweater so far_

'So much for staying in my room and thinking,' Miley thought as she turned around and marched back to Oliver's room. That phone call had left her with so many more questions and she more confused than ever.

Instead of knocking, she just opened the door and waltzed right into Oliver's room.

"HEY! I COULD HAVE BEEN NAKED!!!!" Oliver yelled as he turned around to look at his best friend.

"Well then, that's why you need to lock your door," she replied, sitting down on the couch. "Now, if you don't mind, I just had a shocking phone conversation, and I need your help figuring out my feelings."

"Ha! You're a girl. I couldn't help you figure out your feelings if my life depended on it," he said.

Her reply was her trademark death stare.

"Oh second thought, apparently my life _does_ depend on it," he sat down. "So…how can I be of service?"

"Nick called."

"Oh really," Oliver said, attempting to hide the smile that was started to form. "And what did Mr. Jonas want?"

"He asked me out for coffee." She sat on Oliver's couch, looking out the window. She was still trying to process everything that had happened in the last fifteen minutes.

"Wait a minute," she whipped her head around to look at the brown-haired boy next to her, "why are you not shocked about Nick calling me?"

"I, uh,"

"And how did he even get my number?" By this time she was staring Oliver down. "The number that only you and my daddy and Jackson know."

"I can explain, Miley," he said, now slightly scared of the dark haired girl glaring at him.

"Well, start talking then."

"Well…it's just…you've been so upset the past three years, and after you came in here crying your eyes out last night for the fourth time this month, I knew something had to be done."

"So telling the guy who broke my heart was the best idea you had?" Miley asked. She couldn't believe that Oliver would do this to her. He knew how much pain she went through because of Nick. Why would he call him?

"Yes, Miley. It was. You need to talk to him. You need to be with him. It's been written all over your face for the past three years. You even told me yourself just this morning that you're still in love with him. So yeah, I called him. And Lilly. You need to forgive them and move on. And you need them both in your life. Oh, and I meant it when I said that you and Nick are meant to be."

After his little speech, all Miley could do was stare at him. She knew he was right. She had been miserable for the past three years. And she knew that the only two people who would ever make her feel totally complete again were Nick and Lilly. She knew that she needed to forgive them and move on.

But most of all, she knew that she was still in love with Nicholas Jerry Jonas.

She looked at Oliver with tears in her eyes. She sniffled, wiped them away, and stood up.

"So, it looks like I'm going to Malibu this Saturday."


	3. Set Adrift On Memory Bliss

**AN: Ok, this was my favorite chapter to write so far! This is the Starbucks scene. Ooo….the first time Nick and Miley have seen each other in three years. What will happen? Read and find out!**

**Disclaimer: Once again, I still own nothing. And once again, I wouldn't mind having Kevin. sigh At least there are always my dreams….**

"Set Adrift On Memory Bliss"

_Destiny is everything_

_Reality's replaced you with_

_The biggest empty void I've ever had in my life_

_(Ever had in my life)_

_Ohh_

_Bet you say that I don't care_

_I bet you say that I don't even think of you_

_But God knows how wrong you are_

Saturday came, maybe a little too quickly, for Nick and Miley. Neither one of them knew what to expect, and that scared them.

Nick got to Starbucks before Miley did, so he went and ordered his coffee and sat down at a little table in the corner and waited. She arrived about five minutes later, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Her hair was longer, darker, and slightly more curlier than it was the last time he saw her. She looked a little thinner, and her skin was slightly darker. When he saw her face, he noticed that she didn't wear as much makeup as before, but he thought that she looked beautiful. Maybe even more beautiful than before.

Miley spotted Nick sitting in the back, and she couldn't help but smile. He was wearing a hat in hopes of covering up his trademark curls (it didn't work too well), and sunglasses. She noticed that he had already ordered his coffee, so she went and stood in line to get hers. She kept sneaking glances back at him, every once in a while catching his eye. She loved that he still had those long curls. She loved running her fingers through them. The shirt he was wearing showed off his _very_ muscular arms. He seemed a little tanner. Then again, he's spent all these years living in Malibu. She loved how he still looked like the same Nick, just….hotter.

Miley received her coffee, and then went to the table where Nick was. The closer she got to the table, the more nervous she got. 'What am I getting myself into?' she thought. She reached the table, and slowly set her bag and coffee down, and then set herself down in the chair across from him. They looked at each for a minute, neither one knowing exactly where to start.

"Um, hey, Miley," Nick said. He had to say something. The awkward silence between the two was deafening to him.

"Hey Nick," she replied. Once again, silence overtook the table for a moment, until Miley decided to be brave and say what was on her mind.

"So, what exactly happened?"

Nick just stared at her for a minute, trying to figure out how to answer her question. The question that he hadn't been able to answer for himself for the past three years.

"To be honest, Miles, I don't know," he said. "Lilly was looking for her math book, and I happened to come over because I needed to ask you something. She made me help her look for the book, and I found it underneath your bed. We bumped into each other, and the kiss just sorta happened."

"So, that was the first time anything had ever happened between you two?" Miley asked. She needed to know. If that was the only time, she could trust him more easily again. And she wanted to trust him so bad. She couldn't handle him breaking her heart a second time.

"The first and _only_ time something happened."

"Were you attracted to her?" Miley didn't know why she asked that question. The answer was obvious. And she knew that the obvious answer was going to cause a little more pain.

"A little, yeah," Nick replied. "I mean, it's not like I ever thought about kissing her or dumping you for her or anything. I just thought that she was pretty."

Miley looked a little stunned at his answer. That was not what she was expecting. She was expecting him to say that he had wondered what it was like to kiss Lilly. Not that he never did.

That's when Miley realized that she suddenly had no clue what to do. She had come into this thinking that he was going to give her answers that would break her heart a little more, and that she would be able to walk away and forget that she had ever loved Nicholas Jonas. However, the exact opposite was happening. He was, unknowingly, melting her heart and making it almost impossible for to walk away. She wanted him now more than ever. And that scared the daylights out of her.

"Miley," he started, reaching across the table and taking her hand, "I've always loved you. I have never stopped loving you. I've thought about you constantly for the past three years. I even wrote songs about you. No matter how hard I tried to get you out of my head, and believe me, I tried, nothing worked. You wouldn't leave. And then Oliver called me and told me that you were miserable, and that you would like hearing from me again, and I starting thinking that maybe the hell I went through for the past three years wasn't for nothing. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that I could win you back. I _need_ you, Miley. I need you like you wouldn't believe. There is no one else out there for me. It's only you. And I am willing to do anything it takes to get back into your life again. I am willing to do anything it takes to win back your love."

Miley looked at him, and then down at their locked hands. He noticed this, but he didn't make a move to remove his hand from hers. And she didn't make that move, either. She looked back at him with a question burning in her eyes.

"What were you going to ask me that day?"

He looked into her beautiful blue eyes, and gave a little smile.

"I was going to ask you to marry me."


	4. Someday We'll Know

**AN: This is more of Miley's thoughts after the Starbucks scene. It also includes a flashback (in italics). And be prepared for another one of my famous cliffhangers at the end!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing. The song is "Someday We'll Know" by Mandy Moore. (And you guys know all about my love for Kevin Jonas)**

"Someday We'll Know"

_Someday we'll know_

_Why Samson loved Delilah_

_One day I'll go_

_Dancing on the moon_

_Someday you'll know_

_That I was the one for you_

Driving back to Los Angeles, Miley couldn't stop thinking about the conversation with Nick. Everything about him drover her crazy, just like it had when they first started dating. She smiled a little, remembering how nervous the then fifteen year old Nick was when he came to pick her up and had to face her dad.

"_Daddy! He's here!" Fifteen year old Miley yelled, running down the stairs in a desperate hope to get to the door before Robbie Ray did._

_Needless to say, she didn't make it. She watched, in slight horror, as her dad opened the door to a very scared looking Nick. Robbie Ray took the flowers Nick was holding, and moved aside._

"_Come in, boy. There's nothing to be scared of."_

_Nick walked in, and Miley gave him a smile, hoping that it would ease his fears a little. It worked. _

"_Now, why don't both of ya'll come and sit down on the couch," her dad said, walking over and standing in between the two teenagers. As they walked over to the couch, he went over and put the flowers in a vase and set it on the counter. As he turned to look at Miley and Nick, he couldn't help but give a little chuckle. They were sitting on the couch, Nick at one end, and Miley at the other. Nick looked terrified, and Miley looked slightly annoyed. He knew then that he didn't have anything to worry about. _

"_Well," he said, walking over to the two, "I expect you two to behave like young adults. I know that that goes against everything that your teenage bodies will want, but tough luck." He turned to look at Nick. "That is my little girl you're taking out tonight, and she deserves to be treated with respect. Understand?"_

"_Y-Yes, sir," Nick replied, silently hoping that this would end and they could leave. He knew Mr. Stewart on a professional level, but experiencing him on a "daddy level" was new, and he wasn't sure that he liked it. _

"_Ok. Now, you two may go. Just have her back by ten."_

_With that, Miley and Nick both jumped up and ran out of the house, both glad the uncomfortable "meet the daddy" episode was over._

Miley couldn't believe that that happened six years ago. It seemed like a lifetime. The three years that they were together were the happiest in her life. Everyone commented on how happy she was, how cute they were together. His brothers even told her that he was happier than ever. It was obvious to everyone who saw them together that they were madly in love. Everyone was expecting a wedding. So, it was a huge shock when the world found out that their favorite teenage couple had split.

The details about their breakup had never come out, and Miley was grateful for that. She knew she wouldn't be able to handle reliving that moment every time she read a magazine or turned on the TV. After the breakup, she hid from the world. The only people she had anything to do with were her dad, Jackson, and Oliver. She leaned on Oliver like never before.

And now, the guy who had turned her world upside down was back, and she didn't know what to do. When he grabbed her hand, she felt the sparks. When he told her that he needed her, she almost repeated the words back. When he told her that he was planning on asking her to marry him, she almost died. That was the one thing she had wanted more than anything in the world. She had wanted to be his wife. She had wanted to be Mrs. Jonas.

Walking up the stairs towards her dorm room, she decided that she needed to see Oliver. He had told her that he wanted to know how the meeting went. Plus, she just needed her best friend. She knew that he would talk some sense into her and help her figure out her feelings. So, she walked past her room and headed towards Oliver's.

However, when she got there, she was in for a shock. Even though this week had been full of surprises and reliving the past, she wasn't really prepared for the sight that she saw.

Knocking on Oliver's door, was a blonde haired girl. And when she turned and faced Miley, they both lost the color in their faces.

Standing before Miley was none other than Lilly Truscott.


	5. Broken

**AN: Ok, sorry it took so long for the update. I had school stuff this week, and then I got stuck. But my wonderful beta and "twin" Lissa gave me pretty much all the ideas for this chapter. So….here's Lilly and Miley's first conversation in three years! Get ready for some drama!!**

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing except the plot. The song, "Broken (How Much For Happy)" belongs to Cassie Steele (yep…Manny from "Degrassi"). **

**And yes….I am still in love with Kevin. Like that's ever going to change.**

**Happy reading! Don't forget to review!**

"Broken"

_I've been having trouble_

_With keeping up this smile_

_I've been having trouble_

_Hurting for quite a while_

_And I'm feeling stupid_

_Cause I did it to me_

_And I'm feeling desperate_

_From being unhappy_

Miley couldn't believe it. Lilly, of all people, was standing at Oliver's door. She just stood there, mouth hanging open. This week had been crazy, that was for sure.

Just then, Oliver opened the door. "Lilly!" he exclaimed, giving the blonde a hug. And then he noticed Miley.

"Miles! I didn't know you were going to be back this early!" he said as he hugged her. "Get in here! I want to hear about your Starbucks adventure!"

Miley laughed. "Yeah, you will. But," she leaned over and whispered to Oliver, "I want to know what _she_ is doing here."

"Yeah, about that. Just come in."

Miley walked in slowly behind Oliver and Lilly. Her mind was racing. What the heck was Lilly doing there? And why did she have a feeling that Oliver had called her, too. She wouldn't put it past him. After all, he was the one to call Nick.

Once she got in the room, she looked around. Lilly was sitting on the couch, and Oliver was in his desk chair. Miley didn't really want to sit next to Lilly, so she opted for Oliver's bed. She sat down and looked at Oliver expectantly.

"Ok. What's going on here?" she asked, looking between Oliver and Lilly.

"Yeah, Oliver," Lilly said. "I thought you said that she wasn't going to be here." It wasn't that Lilly had anything against Miley. It was just that she wasn't sure she could face her just yet. How do you explain to your best friend (well, _ex_-best friend) that you had been dying to kiss her boyfriend pretty much since you met him? How do you explain that you had dreamed about him being with you instead of her? How do you tell her that, despite the fact that you would never want to hurt her, the kiss you shared with _him_ was one of the best moments in your life?

"Well, it's not like I wanted to see you either," Miley mumbled. Oliver glared at her. Luckily, he seemed to be the only one that heard her.

"I didn't know she was going to be here. I thought she was in Malibu until tomorrow," Oliver explained. "But since she is here, maybe we can get things out in the open and work stuff out."

Lilly and Miley just stared at Oliver. He wanted them to do _what_?

"Miles, you've been miserable for the past three years. You need this," he said, looking at Miley. "And Lil," he turned to the blonde on the couch, "I know you haven't been much better, either. Am I wrong?"

"No," Lilly replied, "you're not wrong."

"Ok then. Let's get this little talk started, shall we?" Oliver sat up straighter and looked at the two girls before him. "Lilly, let's start with you."

Lilly looked at Oliver, and then she looked at Miley. She knew that there was no way she could tell Miley how she really felt about the kiss. She wanted, no, _needed_ Miley to forgive her. She knew it would take time for their friendship to get back to where it was, but she needed it to get there. Same with her friendship with Oliver. She had missed them both so much over the past three years.

"Miley," Lilly started, looking at the brunette, "I'm really sorry. I never meant for the kiss to happen. I just needed help finding my math book, and he just showed up. I swear, Miley. I never wanted to hurt you."

Miley looked at Lilly. Something was telling her that there was more than what Lilly had offered, but she shook it off. She wanted Lilly's friendship back, and the only way that would happen would be if she forgave her. But, Miley needed to get some things off her chest. Things that she didn't tell Nick.

"Before we get all buddy buddy again," Miley started, "there are some things that I need to say." She took a deep breath before looking at the blonde again. "When I walked in on you two…kissing…on my _bed_," she paused, trying to get the image out of her head before continuing, "it killed me. I mean, my best friend and my boyfriend. I was so angry and hurt and heartbroken." She looked up at Lilly. "Lil, you weren't supposed to do that to me. You were supposed to be the one that I could count on to never hurt me, to never stab me in the back."

"Mil…"

"No, Lilly, let me finish. You were my best friend. The one person I told everything to. You knew how much I loved Nick. You knew all of my dreams of the future with him. You knew how badly I wanted to _marry_ him. Dang it, Lilly! I should have been Mrs. Miley JONAS by now!"

By this time, Miley was in tears, and so was Lilly. Oliver had no clue what to do. He liked the fact that they were talking, even if it was a lot of rehashing unpleasant feelings. Maybe now they could clear everything up and get back to being friends. And maybe Nick and Miley would get back together. And then all would be right with the world.

And then Lilly had to speak.

"I'm sorry Miley!" she said, slightly raising her voice. "I knew all of that. I knew it all. And yes, you should have been Mrs. Jonas by now! And I'm sorry that I screwed up all of your _perfect_ plans and your_ perfect_ life." Lilly stood up and walked over to where Miley was sitting. "But I will tell you one thing," Lilly didn't think about the words that she was about to regret, "I do not regret kissing Nick Jonas."

The silence in the room after that outburst was deafening. Lilly covered her mouth, Oliver sat wide-eyed in his chair, and Miley was livid. She stood up and did the one thing she never thought that she would do.

She slapped Lilly.

And Oliver fell out of his chair.

"Get out," Miley said in the lowest, deadliest tone she had ever used. "And I never want to see you _ever _again."

Lilly, with tears in her eyes, quickly grabbed her bag and sweater and ran out of the room. Miley shot Oliver a death glare, and then ran out of the room, willing herself not to cry.

And Oliver just sat on the floor wondering why he ever made that call.


	6. Can We Still Be Friends

**AN: First of all, thank you to all my wonderful reviewers! You guys are the best, and you all make my day so much better! Now, here's the 6****th**** chapter that you guys have been waiting for. I'm warning you, there's no fluff. For those of you who read my newest addition to ****Awful Beautiful Life****, you will realize that I'm anti-fluff today. I was all for fluff yesterday, but my Valentine's Day pretty much sucked, so I'm anti-fluff today.**

**Plus, I can't have everything in this story be all hunky dory right away! I gotta keep you guys interested and wondering what's gonna happen next (like, will Lilly and Miley**_** ever**_** make up?). So, enjoy the latest installment of ****You and Me**

**Disclaimer: Seriously. I own nothing. The song is "Can We Still Be Friends" by Mandy Moore.**

"Can We Still Be Friends"

_We awoke from our dream  
Things are not always what they seem  
Memories linger on  
It's like a sweet sad old song_

Oliver still sat on the floor, trying to process everything that had happened. The girls had left him there about thirty minutes ago, and he still hadn't moved. He just couldn't believe it. Why did Lilly have to say anything about that? Why did Miley have to slap her? Didn't they both realize that they were on the verge of making up? Why did they both ruin all of his hard work?

He should have known that it was a bad idea to call Lilly. He should have known that making Miley deal with both Nick and Lilly at the same time would not be pleasant. He should have known that Miley would be harder on Lilly than on Nick.

That reminded him, he still didn't know how the trip to Malibu went. He knew he couldn't talk to Miley right now. She was probably still mad at him. So he did the next best thing.

He called Nick.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nick, it's Oliver"

"Oh. Hey. What's up?" As much as Nick wanted to thank Oliver for bringing him back in Miley's life, he was still wondering why Oliver was calling him again.

"Um, not much," Oliver was starting to wonder if this was a good idea. But, he couldn't back out now, so he continued on. "Um, I was just wondering how the meeting went."

That shocked Nick. Miley didn't tell him? Now he was curious. Maybe it didn't go as good as he thought.

"Uh, I thought it went pretty good. I told her how I felt about her, how the last three years were pretty much hell for me, and I told her what I was doing at her house that day," he took a breath. "I'm surprised she didn't tell you."

Oliver gave a small chuckle. "Yeah, well, I think she's kind of mad at me right now."

"Why?"

"Well, I kinda called Lilly, and she came over at the same time Miles did, and, to make a long story short, Lilly apparently doesn't know how to keep her mouth shut, Miley slapped her, and they both fled my room about forty-five minutes ago."

Nick was stunned. Miley _slapped_ Lilly? "What the heck did Lilly say to get Miley that mad?"

Oliver was quiet for a minute. "She said that she didn't regret kissing you."

Nick couldn't believe it. Why did Lilly say that? She should have known it would just cause more trouble. He sighed. These past couple of weeks had been something else.

"Nick, I have to know one thing," Oliver said, suddenly getting very serious.

"Okay…"

"Do you regret kissing Lilly?"

Nick didn't even have to think about his answer. "Yes, I do. Very much so."

Oliver sighed. At least he hadn't made screwed up as badly as he thought.

"Did you tell Miley that?"

"Yeah, I did." Nick replied.

"Okay. Well, I'm gonna go and see if Miley will talk to me," Oliver said.

"Okay, and thanks Oliver."

"No problem. Bye."

"Bye."

Oliver hung up and took a deep breath. Now it was time to face Miley. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he had to do something.

Five minutes later, he was standing outside her door. He stood there for about a minute before he finally knocked. When she opened it, he immediately pulled her into a hug. She had tears rolling down her cheeks, her hair was a mess, and her clothes were all wrinkled. And the guilt that Oliver had been feeling before increased dramatically.

Miley pulled away after a few seconds, embarrassed that she had just let the student body see her like that.

"Hey Ollie, let's go in my room," she said, wiping her eyes. He followed her in and shut the door behind him.

"Miles, I am so sorry. I swear, I didn't know she felt like that," Oliver said, guilt written all over his face.

"I know," Miley replied, flopping down on her bed. "I just can't believe she would do that to me. She _wanted_ that kiss to happen. I mean, she was my best friend! Why would she do that to me? And why would she tell me she didn't regret it? I didn't want to know that Oliver! I wanted me and her to be friends again. I wanted things to get back to how they used to be! But apparently that's not going to happen!"

By this time, Miley was yelling and crying, so Oliver got up and went and sat next to her on the bed. He pulled her into his arms and just held her, occasionally stroking her hair and whispering that everything would be okay.

She finally stopped crying and looked at Oliver, tears still shining in her eyes.

"Ollie," she sniffled, "will things ever be okay again?"

Oliver wish he could have answered that question, but he was wondering the same thing himself.

He looked down at the broken girl in his arms and hugged her.

"I don't know, Miles. I just don't know."


	7. Another Try

**AN: So, finally, here's chapter 7! I am so sorry about the long wait. I've been extremely busy, and I've been dealing with a lot of things. But, the good news is that I think my life is starting to calm down somewhat. So hopefully I'll be able to update a lot sooner! So, thank you to all of my reviewers. You guys are amazing and I love ya'll! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. My love for Kevin hasn't changed. And the song is "Another Try" by Josh Turner feat. Trisha Yearwood.**

"Another Try"

_The reasons I'm alone  
I know by heart  
But I don't wanna spend forever  
In the dark  
I swear next time  
I'll hang on for dear life  
If love ever gives me  
Another try_

A month later, and Miley was still no closer to figuring out her feelings for Nick than when all of this started. Sure, she still loved him, but was he really the one?

"UGH!" she yelled, throwing her pen across her desk. She couldn't concentrate on anything. She had a paper due the next day that she hadn't even started on. And if she didn't start focusing on it soon, that paper would never get started.

"Miley," Becca, her roommate, looked over, "is everything okay?"

"Oh yeah," Miley said sarcastically. "Everything is just peachy."

Becca laughed. "Miley, I've lived with you for the past three years. I think I know your sarcasm by now."

Miley sighed. "You remember me telling you about Nick?"

"The extremely cute, extremely talented, extremely famous ex-boyfriend who cheated on you with your best friend? Yeah, I think I remember him coming up a time or two."

"Well," Miley started, "I met with him last Saturday in Malibu."

Becca dropped the book she was reading on the floor. "You did WHAT? Why? What happened? Why am I just now finding out about this?"

Miley laughed. Becca was always a tad bit over dramatic. Oliver had always said that Becca and Miley were like two peas in a pod.

"I met with Nick last Saturday," Miley got up from her desk and sat on her bed. "Oliver called him and told him to call me, so he did." She took a shaky breath. "Bec, when I saw him, everything came rushing back to me. All those feelings that I have tried so hard to get rid of. I mean, you should have _seen_ him. I didn't think he could get any hotter, but, sweet niblets, he did. And he was so sweet. He told me that the kiss was the first and only time something had happened between them. And he said that it meant nothing to him. I mean, that doesn't excuse what he did, but he was so apologetic. And when he grabbed my hand, there were sparks again! Ah! Oh! And you want to know the shocker?"

"Shocker? There's more shock? TELL ME!" Becca practically yelled.

"He was there that day to ask me a question. Guess what the question was."

"What? What was the question?" Becca looked like an eager puppy. Miley had to laugh at her reaction. It reminded her so much of Joe.

"Well," Miley said, "he was going to ask me to marry him."

That was all it took for Becca to fall off of the couch.

"He was going to PROPOSE? Oh…my…JONAS! You so could have been related to like, the hottest family EVER by now!" To say that Becca was excited was an understatement.

"Yes, Becca. I am fully aware of that. Thanks."

"Oh Miles," Becca immediately calmed down. "I didn't mean to rub it in. It was just a shock, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know," Miley said.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

Miley sighed again. "I don't know Becca. I mean, I still love him. There's no question about that. And Oliver said that me and Nick are meant to be. But I don't know. I just don't want to get hurt again."

Becca thought about that for a moment. "Hey, I got a way to help you figure out if he's your dream guy."

"What's that?"

"Make a list of all the qualities that you're looking for in a guy, and then see if he fits any of them. If he fits all of them, bam! He's your dream guy."

Miley thought about if for a minute. "That doesn't seem like such a bad idea. But, I'll have to do that _after_ I finish that stupid logic paper.

* * *

"Kevin, man, I don't know anymore," Nick said to the eldest brother. "Maybe I should just give up. Maybe we really aren't meant to be."

Kevin laughed at the younger Jonas. "You and Miley _not_ meant to be? That's about as ridiculous a thought as thinking that Joe will ever stop finding ways to injure himself."

"Hey!" came a reply from the other side of the room. "I heard that! I haven't injured myself in two months thank you very—umph!"

Kevin and Nick burst out into laughter as they watched Joe fall over the back of the couch, hitting his head in the process.

"You were saying?" Kevin asked while still laughing.

"Owwww!" was the reply.

Nick just shook his head and turned back to Kevin. "So, what do I do? How can I be sure that this is for real? How can I be sure that this is supposed to happen?"

Kevin looked at Nick. He hated seeing his brother like this. There was a desperate look in his eyes. Nick used to be the one that was always so sure of everything. In fact, back before that day, Kevin would go to _him_ when he needed reassurance that things were going to be okay. But ever since then, Nick hadn't been sure of anything anymore. The spark that always used to be in his eyes had gone out. When Miley walked out on him that day, a part of Nick's heart had gone with her. And Kevin knew that he would never get that part back until he was back with Miley.

"Frobro," Kevin started, "trust me. You guys are meant to be. You haven't been the same since that day. And neither has she. You guys need each other. It's obvious the love is still there. You two just need to wake up and realize what's right in front of your faces before it's too late."

With that, Kevin got up and went to check on Joe, who hadn't moved since he fell. Nick just sat there and went over what Kevin had just said. He knew that his brother was right. He knew that he hadn't been the same since that day, and he could tell that Miley hadn't either. And he knew that if he didn't do something to get that girl back, he would regret it for the rest of his life.

* * *

Miley sat at her desk, satisfied that she had finally finished her logic paper. It was after midnight, and she really needed to get to bed, especially since said logic class was at 8:30 in the morning. But, she couldn't sleep. Becca's list idea kept running around in her head, and she knew it wasn't going to go away until she did it. So, she got out a piece of paper, and she started writing.

Thirty minutes later, the list was finished. She looked back over the fifteen qualifications she had written down. Becca walked over and stood behind her.

"Finished?" she asked.

"Yeah," Miley replied. "Read over it and see what you think."

"Ok." Becca took the list and started reading it. With every qualification, Becca's mouth opened just a bit more. By the time Becca had finished reading it, her mouth was hanging wide open.

"What?" Miley asked her roommate. What's wrong?"

Becca shook her head. "Nothing. Um…I'll be right back!" And with that, she turned, still holding the list, and ran out of the door.

"Becca! Wait! My list!" But Miley's yelling was in vain. She sighed, walked over to her bed, and waited for her roommate to return with the list.

What Miley didn't expect was to see both Becca and Oliver come running into the room five minutes later.

"Miley!" Oliver exclaimed. "These are the qualifications?"

"Yeah," Miley stated, unsure of herself. "What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing!" Becca exclaimed.

"You do realize that this list proves everything we've been trying to tell you, though, right?" Oliver asked.

Miley looked confused. "What do you mean?" she asked, looking between the two.

Becca and Oliver looked at each other before walking over and taking a seat on either side of Miley.

"Sweetie," Becca started, "this list…it describes Nick perfectly."

"Yeah," Oliver said. "According to your qualifications, Nick is your soulmate."

"Oh my God," Miley said, clutching her pillow, "you're right. I am meant to be with Nick."

"Well, now that we've stated the obvious," Becca said, "what are you going to do about it?"

Miley thought for a minute. "Do you think he's still awake?" she asked the two.

"Why?" asked Oliver, which earned him a slap on the arm from Becca.

"Because she's gonna call him, you doughnut!" Becca turned to Miley. "He's probably still up. Don't those crazy musician types keep weird hours?"

Miley laughed. "You're right. Now, would you two kindly give me some privacy?"

"We sure will," Becca said, standing up and dragging Oliver out the door.

Once the door closed behind them, Miley turned around and grabbed her phone. She scrolled down her contacts list until she got to Nick's name. She took a deep breath, and pressed the send button before she could talk herself out of it.

The phone rang twice before Nick picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hey Nick. It's Miley. Um, can we talk?"


	8. The Outside

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to goldenliz32485 for the idea. I wasn't going to focus on Lilly much because this is mainly about Niley, but, she had the idea, and I loved it. So, get ready for some more Lilly with a little surprise thrown in. **

**And I must really be in a writing mood today. Two new stories (a Moe and an anti-Jiley) and this new chapter. So, I hope that you enjoy all of my writing today! **

**Disclaimer: I still own nothing but the plot. The song is "The Outside" by Taylor Swift (I bought her CD today, so I'm on a Taylor Swift kick).**

"The Outside"

_I didn't know what I would find  
When I went looking for a reason, I know  
I didn't read between the lines  
And, baby, I've got nowhere to go  
I tried to take the road less traveled by  
But nothing seems to work the first few times  
And I right?_

Lilly sat on the couch in her quiet apartment nursing a mug of hot tea. It was finally summer, and her roommate had pretty much abandoned Lilly to spend two months in Europe with her boyfriend. So, once again, Lilly was all alone.

And lonely was a feeling she was pretty used to by now.

She sighed. It had been a month since the incident with Miley. It had been a month since she felt the need to spill her guts. It had been a month since she lost the chance to ever gain her best friends back again.

If it was possible, she has sunk even farther into herself in the past month. She had become more quiet, more withdrawn. She studied, took her exams, and holed herself up in her room. Once Miranda left for Europe, she came out of her room, but didn't really leave the apartment. She had no reason to. There was no one to talk to, no one to hang out with. She was all alone.

Just then, her phone rang. She looked at, but she didn't recognize the number. She toyed with the idea of just letting it ring, but something was telling her to answer.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey…Lilly?"

"Um, yeah," she replied, confused. "Who is this?"

There was a slight laugh on the other end. "This is Joe."

* * *

"Miles," Nick replied, surprised to hear her voice on the other end, "uh, sure. What's up?"

"Well, I was actually hoping this could be done in person."

Nick wasn't sure what to say. He looked at his clock. "Uh, Miley, it's…"

"I know it's after midnight. But it's really important." Her voice got quieter. "And…I n-need you."

That really surprised Nick. And that was all it took for him to throw his shirt back on and grab his keys.

"I can be there in forty-five minutes," he said.

She smiled. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

"Joe! Um, wha-I mean-how-grr-I wasn't expecting you to call." To say that Lilly was shocked was an understatement.

"Yeah, well, I talked to Nick," Joe replied. "He filled me in on everything. Including the trip to see Miley."

"Um, how did he know about that?" Lilly was confused yet again. "I haven't talked to him in years."

"Oliver called him."

_Crap_. "Oh," was all she could say.

"Yeah." Joe was suddenly uncomfortable. 'What am I doing?' he asked himself?

"So is that why you called?" Lilly asked. "To tell me how much I screwed up? Cause I'm pretty much aware of that already."

"No! I wouldn't do that, Lilly," Joe's voice softened. "I was calling to ask how you've been holding up."

Was this boy never going to stop shocking her tonight? "Why? I mean, I'm pretty sure I brought all this pain on myself. Why does it matter how I'm doing?"

"Because, Lilly," Joe started, "your feelings matter, too. And I just want to make sure you're doing okay. I mean, considering the circumstances."

Lilly laughed. "Well, I guess I'm not doing as okay as I could be. It's just been so hard, Joe. The last three years have been unbelievably hard. And just when things were looking up for me, I found another way to screw everything up." Lilly sighed. "I am such a loser."

"Hey!" Joe exclaimed. "Don't talk about my friend that way!" He smiled when he heard the blonde let out a small chuckle on the other end of the line. "That's a little better. How about we hang out tomorrow? Have some fun and get your mind off all of this?"

Lilly smiled. "Sure. That sounds like a good idea."

"Okay, so I'll meet you at Rico's tomorrow at noon?"

"I'll be there."

* * *

Becca and Oliver walked back into the room to see Miley sitting on her bed, pillow clutched to her chest, a dreamy look in her eyes, and the silliest smile playing on her lips.

"I take it the conversation went well?" Becca asked.

"He'll be here in about forty-five minutes," Miley responded dreamily. "Oh my God. He'll be here in forty-five minutes. He'll be _here_ in forty-five minutes. What am I going to say? What am I going to do? What am I going to _wear_?"

"Woah, Miles," Oliver said, gripping the brunette's arm, "calm down. Everything's going to be okay."

"Yeah, Miley," Becca agreed, "everything will be fine. Just tell him that you're still in love with him and that you want to give it another shot. He won't say no."

"How do you know he won't say no?" By now, Miley looked downright terrified.

"Trust me, Miley," Oliver said, "he won't say no."

"What am I going to wear?" she asked, looking at Becca.

Becca laughed. "Girl, you're about to tell him that you're still in love with him. Plus, it's after midnight. I highly doubt he'll care about what you're wearing."

Miley sighed. "I guess you're right. But what am I going to do until he gets here?"

Becca smiled. "Okay, me and Oliver are going to go down to the lobby. You stay here and read a book or something. And when he gets here, you guys talk. And when he leaves, come down, get us, and fill us in!"

Miley looked back and forth between Oliver and Becca. "Fine," she said.

They each gave her a reassuring hug and then left her to wait for the next thirty minutes for her fate to arrive. She sat down on the couch and grabbed a magazine that was laying on the floor. About twenty minutes later, a knock came to her door. She dropped the magazine to the floor and stood up, smoothing out her shirt in the process. She walked over to the door and took a very deep breath. It was now or never. She swung the door open and was greeted with the most wonderful sight ever.

There, standing in her doorway, holding a bouquet of roses in his hand, was Nick.


	9. In Any Given Moment

**AN: Ok, this chapter was supposed to be posted a week ago, but I've been sick and on some medication that made me really loopy and sleepy. I was seriously in bed at 9pm one night. But, I'm better, and I'm hoping that I can get rid of the slight writer's block I have and write a fantastic chapter! **

**Now, this is a short chapter, but it has some important stuff happen. And don't worry, I am not done! I still have some drama coming up! Happy reading, and don't forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, I own nothing. And so far, the closest I'm coming to having Kevin is the poster and newspaper article that are taped to the inside of my closet door. The song is "In Any Given Moment" by Meredith Edwards**

"In Any Given Moment"

_In any given moment  
The world can spin around  
A lonely heart can feel love  
And lift it off the ground  
And everything you've dreamed of  
Just suddenly appears  
The future can unfold  
An instant miracle  
In any given moment_

Miley graciously took the roses that Nick handed her, and then invited him into the room.

"You can sit on the couch if you want," she said as she got a glass and a bottle of water, and a can of Sprite out of the mini-fridge. She then proceeded to unwrap the roses, put them in the glass, pour about half of the bottled water in the glass, and then top it off with a little bit of Sprite.

"Viola!" she exclaimed, turning around and showing Nick the make-shift vase. "This is how you do things on a college budget!"

He laughed. "You always were the resourceful one." He watched as she smiled and put the roses on her desk. She walked over and sat down on the other end of the couch, quietly clutching one of the pillows.

"So," Nick said, getting more and more nervous.

"Yeah," Miley said.

Nick smiled. "What was _so important_ that I drove all the way out here at midnight?"

Miley looked up and returned the smile. "Well…I have come to a realization."

* * *

Lilly couldn't sleep. All she could do was think about the upcoming meeting with Joe. She hadn't seen him in about three and a half years. She still couldn't figure out why Joe had called her, much less asked to see her. Sure, they had remained somewhat friends, but they were never extremely close to begin with. And if she was completely honest with herself, she would even admit that she had had a small crush on the lead singer. Nothing compared to her infatuation with Nick, but a crush nonetheless.

She sighed and rolled over. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Nick looked at Miley. "What's your realization?"

Miley took a deep breath. She was getting more nervous by the second. She knew that she should just come out and say it. Oliver and Becca were right. He was going to feel the same way. I mean, he did drive out to see her at midnight.

"Miles?" Nick asked, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked at him, right into those eyes that she loved so much. It was literally now or never. This was her one chance to get the life she had always wanted back.

Another deep breath. "I've realized that I-I'm still i-in love with y-you."

Nick just looked at her. Had he heard her right? She was still _in love_ with him? Was everything finally going his way again? "What?"

"I'm still in love with you, Nick!" Miley was starting to get nervous. Did she misinterpret everything? Did she get her hopes up too high?

Before she could continue her thoughts, Nick leaned over and captured her lips in the most intoxicating, most sweetest kiss ever. They broke apart when the need for oxygen became too much to bear. He leaned his forehead on hers and looked into her eyes.

"Does this mean what I think it means?" he asked, still wondering if this was all just a dream.

"Depends. What are you thinking this means?" she smiled.

"I'm thinking that this means that we're going to give us another shot."

"Well then, you would be correct," she replied. "I mean, if you want to, that is."

He laughed. "Of course I want to! I've been wanting this for three long years, Miles."

They smiled at each other before going back to making up for lost time.

* * *

"Man," Becca said, "It's been two hours! What the heck is taking them so long?"

Oliver just looked over at the ranting girl and rolled his eyes. "It's Miley. You know how stubborn and long-winded she is." He laughed. "Plus, they're probably up there making out."

Becca's eyes went wide. "Well then, we must get up there and stop them before things go too far. I want to go to sleep at some point." She grabbed Oliver's arm and pulled him off the couch and dragged him the three flights of stairs to her room. She opened the door and the sight she saw surprised her, but it also made her heart melt.

There, on the couch, was Nick with Miley curled up in his lap, and they were both asleep. Becca and Oliver smiled, glad things worked out for those two. Becca grabbed a blanket off of Miley's bed and put it over the two lovebirds.

"Hey Oliver," she looked over at the boy, "mind if I crash on your couch? I don't want to disturb these two."

"Nah," he replied, "it's cool."

"Thanks." And with one more look back and the new couple, Becca and Oliver headed off to finally get some sleep themselves.


	10. True

**AN: I am soooooo sorry it's taken me forever to update! Once again, school and personal issues decided to take over my life. That, and the fact that I got a mild case of writer's block for this chapter. But have no fear, I have returned!**

**Someone brought up in a review that Lilly was like the antagonist in this story, and I guess she is. However, I'm hoping that, by the end of the story, she's not that way anymore. I've been trying to get Lilly's feelings out there and make her seem more human. I don't want you guys to hate her! This chapter is going to focus more on her, and, for all the Loe fans out there, this is the big "meeting" between the two! And I think Joe's perspective on Lilly will make her more human, and hopefully, slightly more likable. **

**And I know that the last couple of chapters have been kind of fluffy, but that will change soon! I can't have everything all great right away….that wouldn't be realistic. So, there will be some drama coming your way soon….and it could quite possibly start in this chapter….you'll just have to read and see!**

**Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own anything related to Hannah Montana or Jonas Brothers (except for my JoBro poster and newspaper article hanging in my closet). The song is "True" by Ryan Cabrera.**

"True"

_You might think I don't look  
But deep inside  
In the corner of my mind  
I'm attached to you _

The next day found Lilly sitting at Rico's a few minutes before noon. She wanted to get there early so she could try and figure out how this meeting with Joe was going to go. So she sat there, drinking a bottle of water, and thinking about everything that had happened in her life lately. In fact, she was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Joe had sat down next to her and was trying to get her attention.

"Hey, Lilly," he said. "Lilly? Lilly? LILLY!" He yelled, waving a hand frantically in front of the blonde's face. 

She finally came back to reality, and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

"Hey Joe," she replied, looking down at the water bottle in her hands. 

"Glad you could make it back to earth," he replied.

She chuckled. Good to know that Joe still had his sense of humor. "Yeah," she replied.

"Well, I would ask what's up, but after our conversation last night, I pretty much know the answer to that," Joe said, trying to make conversation.

Lilly looked up. "Joe, why did you ask me here?"

Joe was kind of taken aback. "Getting right to the point, eh, Lilly?" he asked.

She blushed again. "Sorry," she replied. "I'm just really confused right now."

"It's understandable. I mean, I guess I did call you pretty much out of the blue."

"Yes you did, Joe. Now, are you gonna answer my question?"

Joe laughed. "Well, I guess I asked you here because I wanted to see you." Now it was his turn to blush. Truth was, he had always had a little thing for Lilly, though he never would have admitted it. And even after all of the drama with her, Nick, and Miley (and, yeah, Oliver), he still had those feelings for her. If anything, they got stronger. He knew that, yeah, kissing her best friend's boyfriend was wrong, but it wasn't like Nick was completely innocent in the situation, either. He had wanted so much to be there and comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be okay. She had lost pretty much everyone she counted on, and Joe had felt torn between his love for her and his loyalty to Nick. Now, Nick was starting to get everything back together, and he felt that it was only fair if Lilly got that same chance. 

Lilly looked at Joe. "You wanted to see me, huh?" she asked. "Why?"

Joe looked at her and replied, "Because, I wanted you to see that there is at least one person in this world who really does still care about you. And Lil, you really need to starting living your life again."

Lilly thought about that for a minute. "Okay then, if I'm going to starting living my life, then I feel like going for a swim."

"But we don't have swimsuits," Joe replied, becoming very confused. 

"Oh Joe, live a little," Lilly gave a small laugh. "Just go with your clothes on."

And with that, Lilly took off toward the ocean, with Joe not far behind.

* * *

Nick woke up and felt like there was a weight on his chest. He turned his head, and noticed that Miley was curled up next to him, still asleep. He smiled and rolled over a little more and tightened his grip on her waist. He laid there on the couch watching her sleep, and his thoughts drifted to just how different things could be had he not kissed Lilly. He could be married to Miley right now, and mornings like this would be an everyday occurrence. He gave a small sigh. Maybe things would start to turn around for him now. 

He felt Miley start to stir next to him, and her eyes opened.

"Good morning, sleepy head," Nick said, placing a small kiss on her forehead.

Miley smiled. "Morning," she replied sleepily. "What time is it?"

Nick felt reached in his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. "It is noon," he replied, placing the phone on the desk behind the couch. 

"I guess that means I should get up and go take a shower," Miley said, not really wanting to move.

"Or you could stay here for a little while longer," Nick suggesting. He didn't want Miley to get up right away, and he knew she didn't want to move, either. 

"Hmm," Miley pretended to think. "What's in it for me if I do stay?"

"Well," Nick said, pulling her even closer to him, "there's the fact that you get to lay here with me. And, there's also the fact that, if you're here, I can do this." And with that, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. 

"Oh, I think I can spare a few more minutes," Miley said, cuddling up next to him and leaning in to kiss him again. This went on for about five more minutes until Becca walked through the door.

"Hey Miles…" she started, watching as Nick and Miley jumped apart, causing Nick to fall off the couch. 

"Bec, hey," Miley said, sitting up and attempting to straighten out her clothes and flatten her hair. 

Becca started laughing. "Wow….it's only been 12 hours and you guys are already attacking each other. That has got to be a record."

Nick was still on the floor, blushing like crazy and rubbing the back of his neck. To be honest, he was kind of scared to say anything. Miley looked down and smiled at him, and reached out a hand to help him up. He gladly accepted it and got up and sat next to her on the couch. 

Becca was still watching them with a smile playing on her lips. "Well, I just came in here to get my stuff to take a shower and get ready for this wonderful Saturday before we are forced to spend a Monday moving all of our possessions out of this dorm room." She paused and took a breath. "And, because you two decided to have a sleepover, I was forced to sleep on Oken's couch, which is not comfortable. Someone needs to have a talk with that boy." Becca started grabbing her clothes and shower things, and then walked out of the door and to the bathroom. 

Miley looked at Nick, "Well, that was interesting."

"Yes it was," was Nick's reply. "And also slightly embarrassing." 

Miley laughed. "Well, I guess I need to go get ready. I was wanting to drive back down to Malibu and visit the beach before Monday."

"Okay," Nick said, leaning over to give her another kiss. "I guess I can survive a few minutes without you."

"Yes you can," Miley replied, kissing him, and then grabbing her things. "I'll be back in like fifteen minutes." And with that, she walked out the door and started getting ready.

* * *

An hour after chasing Lilly into the ocean, Joe swam back to shore and, being the dramatic person that he is, started making a big deal about being able to get dry. 

"Shut it, Joe," Lilly said as she walked past him. "Stop being such a baby about getting your clothes wet."

"But I'm wearing _jeans_, Lilly!" Joe exclaimed. "Do you know how uncomfortable wet jeans are?"

"Joe, I'm wearing jeans, too," Lilly said, "so yeah, I'm aware." 

Joe just rolled his eyes. He retrieved his phone from the side of Lilly's purse and began dialing Nick's number. 

"I'll be right back," he told Lilly.

"Okay," she said, laying down on the warm sand.

"Hey Joe," Nick answered. "What's up?"

"Not much, just hanging out at the beach," he replied. "What's up with you?"

"Waiting on Miley to get out of the shower," Nick replied.

"Ummm," Joe had no clue how to respond to that. 

"Chill, Joe," Nick said. "I'm at her school. She decided to wait until noon to start getting ready for the day." He left off the part about how he spent the night (well, morning) with Miley, and how they hadn't been up long. He knew Joe would get the wrong impression, and he didn't want that.

"Okay," Joe replied, "so what are your plans for the day?"

"I think Miley said something about wanting to head back down to Malibu for the day."

"Oh cool! We should hang out! I wanna see Miley!" Joe loved Miley like a little sister, and she was one of the only ones who didn't try to kill him when he pulled pranks. In fact, most of the time, she was right there with him. He was always happy to see Miley.

"Calm down, Joe. She's my girlfriend," Nick replied, extremely happy that he was able to say that again. 

"I'm cool, I'm cool," Joe said. "But seriously, I'm at the beach. Call me when you guys get down here and we'll meet up at Rico's or something."

"Okay," Nick replied. "Oh, she just walked in. I'm gonna go. I'll call you when we get there."

"Okay. See ya later little bro."

"Bye."

The two brothers hung up and Joe returned to where Lilly was laying. He didn't tell Nick that he was with Lilly because he knew that it would be highly uncomfortable. And he knew that Nick and Miley would never agree to meet him if they knew she was going to be there. But Joe was fed up with this feud. It needed to end, and it needed to end now. The three of them just needed a push, and he was more than willing to give it.

* * *

"Who was that?" Miley asked as she sat down next to Nick.

"Joe. He wants us to meet him at Rico's when we get to Malibu."

"Oh cool!" Miley exclaimed. "I haven't seen him in forever!"

"No pranks," Nick warned his girlfriend, leaning over to give her yet another kiss.

"Guys, seriously," Becca interrupted them again, "I'm really starting to wonder if I need to keep you guys in separate corners or something."

Both Nick and Miley were blushing. "We were just leaving," Miley told her roommate as the couple got up and left the room. 

* * *

Forty five minutes later, Miley and Nick pulled up to the beach and parked. "Hold on," Nick said. "I gotta call Joe and tell him we're here."

"Hey bro," Joe answered.

"Hey," Nick replied. "We're here."

"Okay. I'm at Rico's. Just head there."

"Okay. See you in a few."

They hung up, and Nick got out and ran to open Miley's door.

"Still a gentleman, I see," Miley said, smiling. That was one of the things she had missed about Nick.

"Always," he responded, taking her hand and leading her towards the shack. 

A minute later, the approached Rico's and saw Joe there talking to a blonde. They couldn't see her face, but Miley started getting a bad feeling right away.

"Hey," Nick greeted them.

"Hey," Joe replied. The blonde turned around, and all three of them went into shock. 

Nick didn't know what to think. Lilly was horrified. And Miley wanted to kill Joe. 

So much for a relaxing day at the beach.

**AN: Yeah, I usually don't do two ANs, but I just wanted to let you guys know that I have a poll up on my profile that I really want you guys to answer. The question is should Becca and Oliver get together in this story or not? I've been leaning towards making them a (very) minor couple, mainly cause I thought I could come up with a few funny and embarrassing situations for them. But it's completely up to you guys. I'll keep the poll up till Friday. So be sure to vote! **


	11. Apologize

AN: So, I got this chapter out a lot quicker than expected

**AN: So, I wanted to get this posted Tuesday, but that didn't happen. I spent an hour trying to get JB concert tickets (which I finally did!! August 20 in Atlanta—is anyone going to that one?), and then I had classes. And then I had to watch (and TiVo) "Dancing With The Stars"—and the boys were amazing! I got mad that WYLMITE was cut short, but I fully think they should record their version of "Take On Me" (I love 80s music!)! But when Kevin smiled at the end of WYLMITE, my heart melted! **

**I love those guys, and I was so proud of them last night! **

**So, enjoy this chapter. And I hope you're ready for drama!!**

**Disclaimer: I only own this story, my JB CD, the poster, the newspaper article, and the tickets to their August 20 concert. So….you really shouldn't sue me. Seriously. I don't have much money left after buying 3 tickets. **

"Apologize"

_I'm holding on your rope  
Got me ten feet off the ground  
And I'm hearing what you say  
But I just can't make a sound_

"I can't do this," Miley said, at the same time that Lilly turned around and started yelling at Joe. Nick just stood there, not really sure what to do. He kind of wished that Joe had informed him that Lilly would be there. He would have been better prepared to handle this situation. Especially since Miley was currently turning around and walking away from the group.

"Wait, let me explain," Joe said, trying to calm Lilly down. Nick ran to where Miley was and stopped her from going any farther.

"Miles, come on," Nick said, putting his hands on her arms. "Joe said he would explain his crazy reasoning for doing this to us."

"I can't be around her, Nick," Miley said. "Not after what happened last time. She doesn't even _care_ about everything she put me through."

"Whoa, Miley," Nick started, "it wasn't just her that put you through a lot. I was there, too. And I know you don't want to relive it, but Miles, you forgave _me_. I should have been the last person you forgave. I started the kiss. I didn't even think about the fact that you could have walked in at any second. I didn't think about the fact that I was cheating on you. _I _acted on impulse. And I'm so sorry for that. You know how sorry I am. And I know that she didn't push me away or whatever, but Miley, if you can forgive me and give us another shot, then you can forgive her and start to repair your friendship."

Miley looked at him. She knew he was right. She knew that if she could forgive him, she should be able to forgive Lilly. But, she couldn't. She couldn't get past the fact that Lilly had wanted to kiss Nick. That would be something that would eat at her constantly if Lilly was back in her life. Heck, it was eating at her now.

"Nick, I want to forgive her. I really do." Miley looked down. "But I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust her, especially around _you_, ever again."

Nick's eyes softened at that. He knew she was having a really hard time with all of this. He knew that sorting all of this out and trying to forgive and forget the past three years was not going to be easy or pleasant. And he knew Miley did not want to relive anything. But, he was afraid that if this didn't get worked out now, it would haunt her. And he didn't want that to happen.

"Miles," he said, pulling her to him and holding her tightly, "I know this is going to be hard on you. But you need to do this. If you don't, this is going to eat at you for the rest of your life."

"Fine," Miley said. "I'll go back. But I cannot make any promises on how I'm gonna act."

Nick smiled. "I'll take what I can get." And with that, he grabbed her hand and walked back towards the shack.

* * *

"JOE!" Lilly yelled at the startled singer. "HOW COULD YOU??"

"How could I what?" he asked meekly.

Lilly glared at him. "How could you invite them here without TELLING ME??"

Joe sighed. "I didn't tell them you were here, either! I knew if I told any of you, none of you would want to come."

"Exactly!" Lilly exclaimed. "Do you not know how bad everything is messed up?"

"That's why you guys need today," Joe replied. "You guys all need to sit down and work this out. It's getting ridiculous. Three years is a long time to carry on all of this. You all need to let it go and move on!"

Lilly sighed. She knew Joe was right. She knew she needed to talk to Miley and Nick, no matter how much she didn't want to. She was slowly going insane over all of this, and she knew the only way to stop it was to work it out.

"Joe," she said softly, "you weren't there the last time me and Miley tried to talk this out. It was horrible. I said what I felt, and it backfired on me. I guess that's my fault. I should have known better than to say that I wanted to kiss Nick. I should have known that that wouldn't have gone over well." She banged her head down on the counter. "Gah! I am such an idiot!"

Joe reached over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "You're not an idiot, Lilly," he said. "You're just confused and stressed. But everything will be okay. Everything will work out. Just have some faith!"

She looked up at him and gave a small smile. "Thanks," she said.

About that time, Miley and Nick reappeared and joined Joe and Lilly at the shack. Immediately, there was tension in the air. Miley and Lilly wouldn't look at each other, and Nick didn't want to say anything. Joe sighed. This was gonna be harder than he thought.

"Guys," Joe said, looking at the three "children" (well, that's what they were acting like) before him, "you really need to work this out."

That just earned him glares from Miley and Lilly and a blank stare from Nick. Another sigh escaped his lips. These were the three most stubborn people he knew.

"Fine," Miley said. "I'll talk it out as soon as I get an apology from Lilly."

Lilly whipped her head around to look at the brunette. "Give _you_ an apology? You're the one who slapped me!"

"I wouldn't have slapped you if you hadn't betrayed me!" Miley was starting to raise her voice. "Tell me, just how long had you been planning to ruin my life?"

"I didn't _plan_ anything!" Lilly yelled. "It just happened!"

"And you weren't sorry it did!"

"God Miley! The world doesn't revolved around you! You can't have the perfect life!" Lilly was trying to avoid Miley's accusation.

"And you're still not sorry!" Miley yelled. "I'm not doing this. I can't forgive you if you're not even sorry." With that, Miley got up and ran as fast as she could away from them.

Nick gave Joe and Lilly apologetic looks, and then ran off after Miley. Joe looked at Lilly, who had her head in her hands and was crying.

"I'm sorry," he said, hugging her close to him. She latched onto him and just cried into his chest.

Would this feud ever end?


End file.
